Belarus
by theotherasian
Summary: A couple drabbles about Belarus. Based off current political situation, history, etc. Featuring Belarus's relations with Russia, Lithuania, and hopefully later, Poland, Ukraine, and either Latvia or America. First fanfiction .w.;; Reviews appreciated!
1. Minsk

The faucet was leaking again, a never-ending chain of water droplets forming only to fall into the waiting mouth of the drain. It had been dripping all night. Belarus sighed. Maybe she should try to fix it or maybe call a plumber to fix it. Or maybe she should just leave it alone. Just one more broken thing in her crumbling apartment. Her utilities bill wouldn't increase that much, what with the government subsidies and all.

Belarus set an empty cup underneath the faucet and checked her fridge*, the one she had bought last year. Back when she was part of the crowd clamoring for supplies before the price increased even more.** She had bought a lot of things then, trying to get as much as possible before her precious rubles became worthless pieces of paper. The shelves of the fridge were heartlessly empty. Belarus closed the refrigerator and went through the cupboards. The only thing she had left in her kitchen were the preserves she had worked hard to make. A trip to the market was in order.

She sat down in front of her vanity and started to apply make-up, painting over any blemishes that appeared. Outside, the wind started, whistling through the streets of Minsk. It searched in vain for papers and things to toss around, but it was fighting a losing battle. Minsk, just like any other city in Belarus, was well-swept. The Belarusian landscape was beautiful. The cities were safe and clean. The grass was greener in Belarus, the food better, the parties more fun. Everything was better in Belarus, at least if you believed the state-controlled media.

Belarus added the final touches to her face and smiled at herself in the mirror. There, now she looked pretty. Beautiful even. But not to be touched. She was a fragile china doll, meant only for looking. It was all a pretense, everything. In Belarus, things were beautiful only for show. She donned a fur coat, something she had given up meals to afford, as she headed out the door in high heels.

The blank walls covered in peeling paint of the neighboring apartment building greeted her. She scowled at no one in particular and walked, keeping her eyes on the ground.

*Atlant© of course

**The Belarusian ruble suffered massive inflation in 2011. I think it was over 100%, but I'm not sure of the exact number. At the same time, salaries plunged. Not a good time to be a Belarusian.

* * *

I get the feeling that Himaruya didn't really research Belarus thoroughly when he made her. It seems like he just looked up the government, and that's it. Belarus has been under a dictatorship for more than 10 years now. Because of that, Belarus is pretty unstable. All dissent is oppressed. Human rights are ignored. The EU put up sanctions and whatnot to try to persuade the dictator that his current path is a bad one, but he doesn't seem to care. As a result, the EU has distanced itself from Belarus. Politicians don't want to hear about Belarus because the situation probably won't get better. There's no immediate benefit from freeing Belarus. Unlike Libya, who has oil reserves, Belarus doesn't possess anything spectacular. "What is so frustrating is that Belarus is two-and-a-half hours from London. People are being kidnapped, killed and tortured, but we are not seen. In Belarus, we are just people and nothing else. That's why Belarus is not sexy. No oil, no gas, nothing. No natural resources to offer the world; just people. This is why nobody cares."- Natalia Koliada. Of course, a lot of the problem stems from the fact that Belarusians seem to care more about economic stability and safety more than political freedoms. Because Belarus remained similar to the BSSR, its economy didn't completely fall like most of the other former Soviet Union countries. That has kept Lukashenka's (the dictator) popularity up. Of course, it's helpful to him that all the elections are rigged and unfair. So after the major economic crisis, his ratings have taken a severe plunge. He's still in power though because the opposition is even weaker than he is. They face a lot of problems, such as lack of coordination, oversight, and also the KGB. (Yes, Belarus is the only country whose secret police is still named the KGB.)

So anyways, I'm not sorry for making her OOC. I tried to incorporate some of Himaruya's original character design into her. This Belarus is a bit cynical but keeps most of her thoughts to herself. She's curt and brusque normally, although if pressured, she can try to be nicer. She's not so keen on a lot of her boss's ideas, but she won't speak against them either. I've read that Belarusian women spend a lot of time on their appearance.


	2. Moscow

Belarus crossed her arms and looked at her brother. Or perhaps he wasn't really her brother. The time of the Kievan Rus was long gone. Russia claimed he was her brother. She would smile and nod whenever he mentioned the fact. If being related meant that she would continue to get oil from Russia, she would gladly accept being his little sister. Little sisters got help from their big brothers after all. And she greatly needed his support.

Belarus was sitting in the lounge with Russia. Her boss* was inside the meeting room with Russia's. She thinks they're talking about oil and subsidies, exports and taxes, loans and revenues. Or maybe the topic has shifted to the Union State. She would always smile politely whenever her boss broached the topic. By smiling, she could at least pretend to push away her feelings of discomfort. What her boss said was law. Her own private feelings had little weight in the complicated game of politics in which her boss played.

"Moscow looks pitiful during winter," she said finally in fluent Russian. The silence between the two siblings was getting on her nerves. "Summer is always nicer."

"Mm. Too hot during the summer. I go to my dacha** in summer."

Belarus should have remembered that. She retreated to her own at summertime, patiently coaxing life from the soil. The produce she harvested from her garden would help her get through the winter, when fresh fruits and vegetables were not available.

"Traffic looks horrible. Must be normal in Moscow."

"Yes, it is."

She was quiet as she gazed down into the street below. The snow was slowly becoming a muddy half-frozen slush below. Belarus didn't want to continue talking and trying to skirt over the topic of the Union of Russia and Belarus. Dance around the topic of politics. Protests. Oil prices and pipelines. Things that they were both uncomfortable with or not at liberty to talk about freely.

Belarus needed to be nice to Russia, her boss said. Even if Russia's help was dwindling, it was still better than nothing. If she had tried harder to get Russia on her good side, Russia wouldn't be demanding something in return for loans. The EU wanted something. The IMF wanted something. Everyone was demanding things of her, things that she couldn't give without her boss's permission.

Maybe if her boss was gone, she could try to improve her lot in life. But that was impossible. A child's fantasy. Belarus was sure that most people supported Lukashenka. She was never really sure though, since she couldn't exactly trust the polls released by the government. It wasn't as if she could just go up to a stranger in the street and ask him or her for their opinion. That was far too dangerous. The risks of speaking out against her boss were too great.

"So…What's been happening to you recently?" It was a genuine question. Belarus read the news, yes, but the media was controlled by the state. She wasn't quite sure of how much faith she could take in the newspaper and television.

"Umm, someone said they had found worms in a burger at McDonalds. So Gennady Onishchenko says that burgers are not good for Russians to eat. He said the same of sushi, too."

Belarus racked her mind for who that person was but came up empty. "Who is he?"

"The head of the Federal Consumer Protection Service."

"Ah." She was about to ask how her brother felt about that when the door opened. The meeting was over, which meant that she didn't have to make awkward small talk with her brother-who-may-not-actually-be-related-to-her. Standing up from the armchair, she brushed down her skirt and followed after her boss wordlessly.

* * *

*Lukashenka

**Summer cottage. Common to the middle class and the rich.


	3. Vilnius

Passing through the Belarus-Lithuania border always felt like an accomplishment. The visa requirements were difficult and expensive. Probably the EU's fault.* Belarus looked outside the car window. The news always said that Lithuania was struggling now that it had joined the EU. Belarus hadn't visited the country in a while, but it seemed to be doing fine. She wondered if she would do better in the EU or with Russia before pushing that thought away. Her boss could continue his little intricate game, perhaps for a while.

She met up with Lithuania in Vilnius. She spoke to him in Russian, knowing that he would respond back in Russian, too. He knew the language, though he hated to admit the fact. Lithuania would speak in his native tongue, but she wasn't fluent enough to carry a conversation in Lithuanian. So Belarus would always feel smug talking to Lithuania. He deserved it, too, sucking up to the West for favors. Abandoning her.

"Why did you increase the visa fee? It's too expensive."

"I had to. EU Schengen Zone. It's not the best idea, I know, but it's what the EU decided. My boss offered to make the visa easier to get, but your boss refused. I don't know why. I'll keep trying though."

Belarus ignored the latter part of his statement.

She went shopping. Clothes were cheaper in Lithuania. He followed behind, offering to take her bags, so she handed him her bags, not bothering to say 'thank you.'

They went to a restaurant for lunch. Belarus eyed the menu warily and ordered the cheapest meal. He started talking, and she mostly ignored him in favor of her food. He smiled whenever she acknowledged his words, his inane chatter.

Lithuania talked about the weather, how pretty she looked today, everything except politics. By an unspoken agreement, they both avoided the topic. Politics was something that would be left to their bosses. Besides, Belarus reflected, it spoiled meals. People got in trouble for discussing politics.

Belarus had finished eating half of her food when she realized that he had stopped talking. His own meal was untouched.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, annoyed at him. Lithuania must be doing well if he could afford to pay for something he wasn't going to eat.

"Yes, there is, actually." His assertive tone caught her off guard. When did he grow a backbone? "Look, I know you're mad at me."

"I am," she agreed matter-of-factly.

"Well, you shouldn't be. I'm prospering because I tried. I fought for my independence and got it. I never looked back after that. I don't know what happened to you. That spark in you just fizzled out when Lukashenka was elected. You could always try to protest against Lukashenka, but you don't. You can't just blame it all on other people or wait for something to happen. Nothing's going to change unless you change things yourself."

By habit, Belarus looked around and checked for any police or possible informants. There was one suspicious-looking man who kept staring at them that worried her before she remembered where she was. Lithuania. There probably wouldn't be a problem if she spoke her mind here.

"It's not like my opinion counts for anything. I've seen the people who fought Lukashenka. They're in jail, or they've fled from jail." Both of them knew where the opposition politicians or activists went when the KGB started to get involved. Vilnius.

"If more people would support them, they wouldn't have to flee. It's not like they're the minority in Belarus. I'm sure more people don't agree with Lukashenka."

"Really? Have you ever thought why most people don't speak out? It's because we don't want to have riots and disrupt our economy any further. Stability and safety is better than freedoms anyways."

"Okay, okay. Your decision." Lithuania backed down. "But don't be mad at me. I try, you know? It's not like I wanted the EU sanctions. I opposed them when they were suggested."

"Shut up and eat your food. I don't want to talk about it." The man who had been watching them earlier had left. Was it possible that he had heard them over the steady hum of conversation from the other patrons? She should have just smiled politely at Lithuania when he started lecturing her. Why did he even care, anyways? It wasn't his problem. Probably a remnant from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, when he had snatched her away from the Kievan Rus. She wasn't mad about that, not really, since the throne of Kiev was falling, and the Mongols were invading. She did well enough under his protection. Even under Russia's rule, she did well. Belarus found it annoying that Lithuania still tried to look after her. She could manage just fine without his help. For the most part.

When the waitress came with the bill, Lithuania paid. Belarus didn't object. As they got up, he asked, "Do you want me to get your things for you?"

"If you want." She waited for him to catch up with her outside.

* * *

*In 2007, Lithuania changed the visa fee from 5 euros to 60. Big difference, considering that the average monthly salary is 200 euros. (Estimates vary of course, but the fee is still /really/ expensive.) The entire process is very long, and there's a ton of paperwork to fill out. Also I found this interesting snippet from : "The head of the Belarus border guards has said the country's citizens can only learn whether they are allowed to leave the country only at the border while trying to do so." Fun, huh?

As you can see, I support Litbel. An interesting quote about current Lithuania-Belarus relations. "Some fear that Belarus is the Achilles heel of Lithuania's Euro-Atlantic orientation. Others think that Lithuania is the one country that can guide Belarus back into the European fold. Perhaps both views are right."

And, that's it for today! I'm thinking of adding a Belarus and Poland chapter, a Belarus and Ukraine chapter, and /maybe/ Belarus and America or Latvia. Depends on how much info I can find on their relations. Sorry, it might take a while /sob Belarus-Poland relations are really complicated!  
EDIT: Sorry, I've left this story alone for so long. I might add more to it later, but I'm kind of nursing a Hetalia AU in my mind. The main pairing is LitBel, but I'm trying to make the backstories for all the characters (going to try to give everyone at least a cameo) that's at least somewhat historically accurate.  
At any rate, I'll probably pick this one up over the summer (I'm still fascinated with Belarus), but I'm too busy right now to write. (College, whoo!)


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